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Manufacture solar panels?


By Gresford, Section Solar
Posted on Wed Oct 12th, 2005 at 12:20:50 PM MST
make your own solar panels

Can anyone tell me what it would take to make your own solar panels?
When I say that I mean soldering the cells to create your own solar
energy matrix.  Are there any resources (web, good books)? Is this
cheaper than buying from a retailer? Or am I out of my mind?

Thanks,

Gresford Thomas

Manufacture solar panels? | 14 comments (14 topical, 0 editorial)

Re: Manufacture solar panels? (4.00 / 1) (#3)
by DanG on Wed Oct 12th, 2005 at 12:31:23 PM MST
(User Info)

I hate to say it but the PV energy companies advantage in their R&D and QA  departments far outweigh my resources. I assembled my first panels, but my next panels will be storebought. Its not a challenge to string together a PV string. The challenge is to make it work wholly unattended for ten, twenty or thirty years.

DanB phrased it correctly, "I'm not sure if it's worth the trouble anymore", my opinion is IF one can find PV cells for free or salvage cost there may be justification, but not for the prices eBay sellers or online trinket shops are asking!!

The volume the PV industry works at means their costs for a 100 watt panel may be $5 for the glass, $5 for the frame and wiring, $20 for the silicon and $20 to fab cells, $50 to assemble, test, package and ship it for a rough cost of $100 before overhead - which we would pay a minimum of $400 for at retail.

If the $1-per-watt cost is met have we done anything? If the $100 is spent on a panel warrantied for 30 years how much more energy would be produced over its lifetime then if we assembled the PV arraym but saw it fail prematurely from water intrusion or other overlooked flaw? What value so you place on flawless performance ten or more years out in the future?

Group purchases, getting bulk prices on whole pallets or even container quanities is where the thinking man would spend his money...



Re: Manufacture solar panels? (3.00 / 1) (#4)
by ghurd on Wed Oct 12th, 2005 at 02:08:19 PM MST
(User Info)

I too agree.
But container quantities are not available for many dealers.
And $/W went up. Again.
Multiple pallet quantities are wholesaling at well over $4 a watt for poly crystilline PVs of good quality.  Plus shipping.

It appears everyone has decided what we all ready knew.

So much for waiting for the prices to drop.
G-

[ Parent ]



Re: Manufacture solar panels? (4.00 / 1) (#9)
by Tom in NH (tom@altenergyweb.com) on Thu Oct 13th, 2005 at 10:04:17 PM MST
(User Info) http://altenergyweb.com

I must register one dissenting opinion. There are benefits to building your own solar panels. The biggest one is you will learn so much about the components of a solar electric system. There is joy in tinkering on something you built from scratch, and pride in watching it crank out the amps and knowing you did it yourself. If all you want is financial benefit then you'll be hard pressed to do better than buying factory made panels. But if you want a joyful hobby that will teach you a lot, by all means build them yourself. You will make mistakes, and some may be costly, but the knowledge you gain is one of those intangible things you just can't value enough. I think homemade can equal or exceed the quality of factory made if you are careful and you make well reasoned decisions and if you allow for your boo-boos. It won't be cheaper, but it will be better. Your best resource will most likely be this very spot on the web.

If anybody has any ebay cells gathering dust that they'll sell reasonable, I need one more panel's worth to round out my array (that would be 72 cells). See that hole in the photo behind me and the Mrs.? Please get in touch.  --tom



Re: Manufacture solar panels? (4.00 / 1) (#10)
by tecker on Sat Oct 15th, 2005 at 04:22:32 AM MST
(User Info)


  Silicon solar has a Cool starter kit and reasonable component prices. And the number is.... www.siliconsolar.com  imagine that . The the educational kit for 90 +shipping is
ok . I know what your saying " man I could buy a panel for xxx but 100 bucks is nothing in the solar panel purchase arena . You can make the rest of what you need after some practice. Soldering the cells together easy enough but keeping them nice and flat is a
art . Stringing the cells out and keeping them dry is also a somewhat guarded art form. . A lot of posts in the archives . have alook




Re: Manufacture solar panels? (4.00 / 1) (#13)
by Gresford (gresfordat@yahoo.com) on Mon Oct 17th, 2005 at 06:14:18 AM MST
(User Info)

Thanks for the site!  My purpose would be primarily educational.  Based on the majority of responses to my question I will buy the panels but I would still like to understand how they work.

Thanks again!

[ Parent ]



Re: Manufacture solar panels? (4.00 / 1) (#11)
by picmacmillan (rmacmill@sympatico.ca) on Sat Oct 15th, 2005 at 04:33:06 PM MST
(User Info) http:// www.frecklefarmloghomes.com

i built 7 panels of my own as did most here from byron off ebay,i have mixed feelings about it..on one hand it was a cool project, and it is kinda nice to show your friends that you built your own and they work well, but on the other hand, they are oxidizing, and some got bumped and cracked, and one leaks, so water gets in...so if i had to recommend doing it yourself, or buying them...i would recommend you buy them..mine still work real well and shoot between 2 and 3 amps each on a good day, and 15+ volts each, so nothing to sneeze at...my cost was around 17 dollars per panel, everything included and some of the stuff was donated, but still they wont last all that long in my opinion, but a real cool idea for anyone who wants to build one for say a high school science fair or something...good luck...pickster


http://www.frecklefarmloghomes.com


Re: Manufacture solar panels? (3.00 / 1) (#1)
by DanB (danb@*no spam*otherpower.com) on Wed Oct 12th, 2005 at 09:34:03 AM MST
(User Info) http://www.otherpower.com/

Its not feasable to make your own cells.  There are some folks here (several) who've bought 'cells' off ebay, soldered them together and built frames and have made panels for a pretty good price, although I expect it's time consuming.  I believe the prices have gone up on the ebay cells, so I'm not sure if it's worth the trouble anymore or not.  Search the board though - use the 'google search' feature and I expect you'll find some of the stories.


Re: Manufacture solar panels? (3.00 / 1) (#2)
by cr8zy1van (salsa117@hotmail.com) on Wed Oct 12th, 2005 at 11:46:52 AM MST
(User Info)

I agree.. Even if you were to get the cells at a good price, by the time you calculate time spent and materials you could have bought a commercial panel and have a 10+ year warranty. No fuss with condensation, no cracking glass, no heavy wood enclosures. I may be a little jaded from my last experiment...

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2005/8/19/235027/447


Re: Manufacture solar panels? (3.00 / 1) (#5)
by msloat (megansloat@epferris.com) on Wed Oct 12th, 2005 at 06:25:53 PM MST
(User Info)

I'm waiting until these people and others like them start selling to the public.

http://www.nanosolar.com/thin-film.htm

Not sure how long of a wait I will have though.



Re: Manufacture solar panels? (3.00 / 1) (#6)
by Volvo farmer on Wed Oct 12th, 2005 at 06:35:36 PM MST
(User Info)

I made 650 watts of panels last spring out of the ebay cells when they were affordable. It was a fun project but I haven't had the panels out in the weather yet. I suspect I will have moisture problems. I'm sure I have over $2/watt into them, and my glass was free. To be quite honest, I'd rather have two 170 watt panels at $1400 (back then), then these things.

Last time I checked, Byron was encasing these in wax and he got $50 for twelve cells. Three dollars a freakin' watt for cosmetic second cells!

Volvo Farmer

May you always have success in your quest to irritate those who you despise. -Ben Goode



Re: Manufacture solar panels? (3.00 / 1) (#7)
by Norm (peppysue@suite224.net) on Thu Oct 13th, 2005 at 06:31:29 AM MST
(User Info)

   Start a greenhouse....grow your own vegetables
the money you save could be used to buy solar panels.
                ( :>) Norm.  

               
( :>) Norm



Re: Manufacture solar panels? (3.00 / 1) (#8)
by farmbo on Thu Oct 13th, 2005 at 02:41:28 PM MST
(User Info)

i just bought 16 -  12 volt 15 watt 1 amp pv panels from northern tool. $79.99 and free shipping.i now have 32 of these and am working on a tracking system for my grid tie system...i bought the cells from ebay, they are still in the box collecting dust.

[ Parent ]


Re: Manufacture solar panels? (3.00 / 1) (#12)
by jrmobb on Sun Oct 16th, 2005 at 09:33:46 AM MST
(User Info) http://www.offroadvideos.net

If you just keep a good eye out for deals you will find them. Last year we found some guy selling 120 watt panels for 300 and they are the new crystals too. thats $2.5 a watt!!!! works awsome. He was selling like 50, they went fast, but if save for a time and find deals like that go for it.


Re: Manufacture solar panels? (3.00 / 0) (#14)
by rajesh on Thu Nov 10th, 2005 at 07:21:45 AM MST
(User Info)

 you go through the site plastecs.com and solatrontechnologies.com.
at plastecs.com you can down load an e-book for $7.95 which is wonderful book for making your solar panels. at solatron you will get lot of knowledge about solar cells.
i am buying few solar panels to make first solar panel.pl give me the feedback and any help required.
rajesh


Manufacture solar panels? | 14 comments (14 topical, 0 editorial)
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